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We rose at 6am this morning to catch the first of several Peruvian bus trips. When we arrived at the terminal, I was surprised at how organized everything was. There were even "gates" for each bus heading to its destination.
The buses put our American versions to shame. Wonderfully comfortable seats that lean almost 180º back! Movies (in English or with English subtitles)! A bus attendance who serves a meal and drinks! Looking out the window would give you a totally different impression, however, with the various towns not much more than shantytowns, many adobe-brick homes with palm-branch or corrugated tin roofs. There is a clear delineation here between rich and poor and it's easy to note that while traveling, we're identified with the former.
When we arrived in Paracas (on the coast south of Lima), we headed into town to rent bicycles and book a trip to Huacachina and a dune buggy ride. The bike ride to the Paracas National Reserve took us a bit longer than expected, so we only got to the museum and went to view the flamingos before we had to turn back. It's a beautiful desert area on the coast, with lots of wildlife.
For what was a slow morning, a fast afternoon ensued. We drove to Huacachina and met another traveler, a nurse from Hollland here for four weeks. As we arrived in this desert oasis (literally), I was struck by the huge mountains of sand all around. I've never seen such large sand dunes, and the entire area is full of sand.
We hopped into our dune buggy with our Dutch friend and an Italian couple, and we were off. From the get-go (seatbellts fastened!) it was clear we were in for a ride. After that, we raced over the dunes with the setting sun casting long shadows across the area, enjoying the bumps and drops, twists and turns just like a rollercoaster. We did plenty of laughing, and after snowboarding down several dunes, we had sand pretty much everywhere. The view of the oasis below, with the sand dunes all around as the sun cast its last light over the place was enchanting. Yes, it was well-worth the 260 Soles ($90--for the two of us).
We returned to our hotel to watch the USA-Ghana World Cup match (2-1 USA) and my first Pisco Sours. After a quick dinner at the local youth hostel (nothing Peruvian tonight--hamburgers!) we were back and in bed by 9.
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